First I want to tell you that I'm thrilled to see a 12 year old with an interest in the Civil War. Unfortunately, it seems you were allowed to register in error. There are laws, called COPA laws, which were designed to protect people of a certain age from unscrupulous websites. While we are not that, the way the laws are written have persuaded us to not accept members under 13.

The way around this is to get one or both of your parents to send Civil War Interactive a letter stating that they have no objection to you belonging to this discussion group. Our mailing address is at the top right of every page in the CWi site.

In the meantime, I have had to delete your registration. You can still read the site and the board, but cannot reply. I really apologize, and I'll watch for a letter from your parents(s). Keep up the Civil War interest!